Before Karen Murphy even discovered BMX, she was already a three-time Judo European Champion.
Living down in Kent, it wasn’t long before Karen noticed kids riding around the streets on BMX bikes. She soon convinced her dad to buy her a Halfords Turbo BMX and, shortly after, made her way to Buckmore Park to race her first meeting—placing 3rd. Her dad quickly upgraded her Halfords to a Diamond Back.
The 1983 season was already underway when Karen jumped in midway through the National circuit. With just four National races under her belt, she became UKBMX National Number 9 and was picked up to ride for Edwards.
Karen won her first National at Herne Bay, made the 1984 European Championships final in Birmingham, and rounded off the year as UKBMX National Number 2 and runner-up at the Champion of Champions. Not to mention, she was also a highly competitive hockey player on the pathway to play for England.
In 1985, Karen signed for the Raleigh Superstar team with Sam Wood as Team Manager and teammates Andy Ruffell, Jason Maloney, Dean Iddiols, Stu Diggens, Jamie Staff and Craig Schofield. She went on to have a fantastic year—reaching UKBMX National Number 2, finishing 4th in Europe, winning the Champion of Champions, performing well in the Kellogg’s Series, and nearly pulling off the impossible by winning the World Championships in Canada, only to be passed on the finish line by U.S. Skyway superstar Cheri Elliott.
In 1986, Karen went one better, signing up for the inaugural Supergirls class. She became National Number 1 Supergirls, won the European Championships in Germany, and once again came heartbreakingly close to a World Championship title at the Slough Worlds—passed on the finish line by Sarah-Jane Nichols (as seen in the classic TV footage).
By 1987, Karen began to slow things down, riding for Zeronine but still making the World Championships in the U.S., where she finished 6th—wrapping up a very successful international career.
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